Something Wicked
by Astrid Martel
Summary: Amelia Bennet always wanted a life of excitement. But she never imagined a life like this...
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Amelia Bennet led a very ordinary life. She had a job, an apartment, even fish. She took the bus like normal people; she went to work like normal people. But, on a run of the mill, normal day, Amelia couldn't help but notice the man who was not so normal. She was sitting on the bus, like any other day, when she noticed a man in all black. He was tall and slim. Amelia couldn't help but look at him. He was memorising. Until he lost his balance and went flying half way down the bus, and slammed straight into her. They went crashing to the ground. The man was surprisingly heavy.

"I am very sorry." The man said. Amelia half smiled.

"That's fine." She said. The man stood up and offered Amelia his hand. She took it and he pulled her up. His hand was thin and cold, even with a glove on.

"That doesn't usually happen to me." The man said, adjusting his hat.

"You mean falling over?" Amelia asked. The man looked at her.

"Yes. That." He said. Amelia smiled. She jumped when her phone went off. She took it out of her back pocket.

"Hello? I'm on my way now; the bus was a bit late. Ok, I'll sort it out when I get there. Thanks." Amelia hung up put her phone in her bag.

"So, what do you do?" The man asked. Amelia looked at him a little surprized. Why was he still talking to her? Most people didn't talk to Amelia. She was pretty shy. But, this man was a bit different.

"Oh, I, um, work at a funeral home." Amelia said quietly.

"That must be fun." The man said. Amelia was surprized he could hear her tiny voice.

"Um, well, not really. Dead people aren't very exciting." Amelia said.

"I would imagine not." The man said. Amelia smiled.

"And, uh, what do you do?" She asked. The man perked up a little.

"I'm a detective, and a very important one at that. Whenever they need something solved, they call me." He said proudly.

"That must be very exciting. And dangerous."

"It's actually not as exciting as everyone thinks. Sure, I get into a few gun fights, rescue people and have a great car, but the paperwork kills you."

"Oh. I'm sorry to hear that." Amelia said. The man laughed.

"I was joking. I don't do paperwork." Amelia laughed and pressed the 'stop' button.

"This is my stop." She said. The man cocked his head.

"That's a shame." He said. Amelia blushed a little.

"Um, well it was nice talking to you." She said.

"You too." Amelia could feel the man smile. She walked to the front of the bus and walked off the bus into the rain. She heard a shout come from behind her. Amelia turned to see the man running up behind her, holding her phone.

"This must have fallen out of your pocket." Amelia checked her pocket.

"Thank you so much. Most people would have kept it." She said.

"Well, I'm certainly not 'most people'," He said. "I didn't catch your name, by the way."

"Oh, um, it's Amelia." She said quietly. The man held out his hand.

"Skulduggery. Skulduggery Pleasant."

"That's an unusual name." Amelia said. She stopped and rubbed her eye. "I'm sorry, that was rude."

"No, no. It is a weird name. My parents were hippies, you see." The man said. Amelia laughed a little. Her phone bleeped.

"I'm really sorry, but I have to go."

"Yes, of course. The dead people must be getting impatient." He said.

"Thank you again." Amelia said before walking down the street. Amelia smiled to herself as she walked. Did she just make a new friend? She certainly hoped so. This would have been her first friend since grade 3. Her parents would be proud. Not that she cared what her parents thought. Amelia could feel that this day was going to be a bit better.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Amelia sighed. Why the hell did she agree to do extra hours? How did her boss convince her to stay after hours? These were questions that Amelia couldn't answer. She was just too nice. Amelia was so afraid of disappointing people. That was probably her parents fault. Amelia was always and forever will be a disappointment to them. But, it didn't really matter. Amelia was happy with her choices.

Amelia was doing the finishing touches on a body, when she heard a window smash. She froze. Who would break into a funeral home? At this point, Amelia was really glad that she took her pushy mother's advice and went to self-defence classes. Amelia grabbed a candle holder from a table and crept around the house to try and found the culprit. Amelia might have been shy, but she wasn't afraid to hit someone. Amelia peeked around a corner, to find a very large man rummaging through draws. Amelia slowly crept up behind him and raised the candle holder over her head, ready to strike. The man's head shot up. Oh crap, she thought.

The man spun around and grabbed Amelia. He had a twisted face, like a villain out of a really bad horror movie. "Well, well. What have we here?" Amelia tried to break free of his grip, mostly because he had horrible breath. Amelia dropped the candle holder. She was trapped. Double crap. The large man came closer to her face and inhaled. "I wonder if you taste as good as you smell." The man's eyes turned red and the flesh started to peel from his body, revealing whiter, paler skin. His teeth sharpen and claws dug into her arms. Amelia screamed in pain. The man, or whatever it was, beared its sharp teeth. Amelia could already feel them.

There was a loud bang and the creature roared. It dropped Amelia and went for its new target. Whoever it was, they were quick. The creature kept roaring and squealing. Amelia look up just as a fireball flew past her head. Amelia's jaw dropped. What the hell was going on? The creature gave one finally roar as it dropped to the ground. Amelia tried to run, but she couldn't move her arms. She could feel more and more blood pouring out of her arms. Amelia felt sick. Suddenly, arms wrapped around her and lifted her up into a cradle. She tried to see who it was, but her eyes were already closing. "Time to go," she heard a voice say. Like velvet, Amelia thought as she lost all consciousness.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Amelia woke up with a gasp. Her head was pounding and her arms ached. They were wrapped up in bloody bandages. She hadn't been in an accident since she felt out of a tree when she was seven. Amelia suddenly realised she wasn't wearing a shirt. She pulled the bed quilts around her torso. She looked around the room she was in. There was a large wardrobe full of suits inside and a long mirror, but that was it. Amelia slowly got up. She crept to the door and opened it slightly. She stuck her head out into the hallway, and the rest of her body followed. She could smell something cooking.

Amelia walked silently down a staircase towards the smell. The house was stylish, but old.. Amelia wandered around until she found the kitchen. Amelia nearly dropped the bed quilt when she saw a tall skeleton dressed in a suit. The jacket was folded neatly over one of the chairs, and the sleeves of the shirt were rolled up. The skeleton looked at her. "Oh! You're up. Come, sit. I made bacon." He said.

Amelia was too shocked to move. She just stared. The skeleton moved towards her and took her gently by the shoulders and led her to a chair. Amelia watched with curiosity and fear at the skeleton making her breakfast. The skeleton placed a plate of bacon in front of her and sat down on the opposite chair. "Now, I know what you're thinking. What is a talking skeleton making me breakfast for?" He said. Amelia shook her head.

"This cannot be happening. This, this, this is crazy."

"Amelia, calm down."

"Calm down? You're telling me to calm down. That's rich coming from a talking skeleton! Just who are you and how did I get here?! AND WHY AM I NOT WEARING A SHIRT?!" Amelia shouted. She caught herself. She bit her lip and rubbed her eye. "I, I, I'm sorry. I'm just, uh." Amelia looked at the skeleton. "How do you know my name?" She asked.

"I thought that was obvious."

"If it was, I would be asking."

"Oh. Well, I'm Skulduggery," He said. "Would you mind eating? I don't cook and I don't want that to go to waste. I can't eat, after all."

"Oh, um yeah, ok." Amelia said. She took a small piece of bacon off a larger piece and put it in her mouth. It was perfect. It was crunchy, but not too crunchy. Amelia looked at the skeleton. "So, would you mind explaining to me what's going on? I mean with you and last night and…" Amelia trailed off.

"Yes, of course. Well, that thing that you had the pleasure of getting attacked by was a vampire. And I killed it." Skulduggery said. Amelia nodded.

"Ok, ok. I think I can deal with that. But what about the fire balls?"

"That was magic and I am a sorcerer. A detective sorcerer at that." He said proudly. Amelia gulped down another bit of bacon.

"That, that's a little harder to take in," Amelia said. "Ok, well, what about, um, well you?" Amelia said quietly. Skulduggery cocked his head.

"What would you like to know?" He said. Amelia blushed.

"Oh, well um, I guess, uh, how did you, um, become a skeleton?"

"That is a long story." Skulduggery said.

"I've got time. I don't think I'll be going back to work anytime soon."

"I would rather not tell it. It's a gruesome and sad story." Skulduggery said. Amelia frowned a little.

"I'm sorry." She said. They sat in silence for a minute or so. "So, um, is Skulduggery your real name?" She asked suddenly. Skulduggery looked at her.

"When a person first gets into magic, they take a name so other sorcerers can't control them. Skulduggery is the name I took." Amelia nodded and bit of another piece of bacon. Another minute of silence passed.

"Uh, do you have my, shirt?" She said, her cheeks flushing bright red. Skulduggery jumped from his seat.

"Yes, yes of course. Yours was covered in blood. I probably have a spare one around somewhere. My partner stays here sometimes. She might have left something here." He said. Amelia frowned. For some reason, she was a little disappointed.

"Oh, that's, uh nice." She said. Skulduggery stiffened and looked at her.

"Oh, no, no, no! She's my work partner. She comes on cases with me. We aren't a thing. Ew, no." Skulduggery said. Amelia laughed a little.

"Sorry." She said. Skulduggery led Amelia up the stairs back into the room she woke up in. He rummaged through some draws.

"Ah! Here we go." Skulduggery held up a black singlet.

"That's wonderful, thank you." Amelia said. Skulduggery left the room and Amelia dropped the quilt. She thanked God that she still had a bra on. She slipped the singlet on. It was a surprisingly good fit. She walked back down the stairs into the kitchen. Skulduggery was still in there, tidying up from breakfast.

"I could do that, if you like." Amelia said. Skulduggery looked at her.

"It's alright, I've got it." He said. Amelia stood awkwardly in the door frame.

"Uh, would you mind, um taking me home? I've got fish to feed and stuff to do." She said quietly.

"Yes, of course." He said. Skulduggery grabbed his jacket and hat. He led Amelia outside and into the garage.

"Wow you have a lot of-" Amelia's jaw dropped when she saw the sleek, black car. Amelia marvelled at the beautiful car.

"Is this a Bentley?" She asked.

"It's a Bentley R-Type Continental to be exact. One of the only 208 ever made." Skulduggery said with a smile in his voice. Amelia smiled.

"I would have been happy with a 'yes'." She said.

"Well, hop in. But don't touch anything." He said.


	4. Chapter 4

"That's quite alright." He said. Amelia smiled and got out of the car. She buzzed herself into her apartment. She closed the door and sighed. "Finally," she said to herself. Amelia walked up 5 flights of stairs. The elevator was broken. I had better call work, she thought. When she finally got inside, there was a man sitting on her couch. He had short blonde hair and dark sunglasses. He wore a large brimmed hat. He smiled at her.

"Well, well. Aren't you fine lookin' specimen?" He said in a thick American accent.

"Who are you?" She asked. The man got up and removed his hat.

"Oh, how rude of me. Allow me to introduce myself. William-Ray Sanguine is my name. My friends call me Billy-Ray. And what's yours, darlin'?" He said. Amelia was about to answer, but she remembered what Skulduggery said.

"That's none of your business." She said quietly. The man laughed.

"Now, now. Let's not get off on the wrong foot here. I know who you are, Amelia." He smiled. Amelia froze. How did he know her and where she lived? The man moved closer and closer, until Amelia could feel his breath. "We've been watching you for a while now, darlin'. See, the word on the grape vine is that you're special. And we need your special. Dead or alive." He said. Amelia saw him go for his pocket.

Amelia shoved him away from her to give her space to move. The man's smile grew wider. "Oh, a feisty one. Just how I like em'." He took out a straight razor and came at Amelia. Amelia grabbed his hand and twisted, making him drop the razor. Amelia kicked his knee, sending the man to the ground. Amelia let go of his hand and ran out the door. She ran as fast as she could down the stairs, trying not to trip. Amelia burst through the front entrance of her apartment building and ran down the street.

She turned into an alley way and slowed down. Lost him, she thought. Amelia was just about to turn back to get help, but the man was blocking her path. Amelia's eye grew wide with shock.

"How did you-"

"Magic, darlin'. It's a wonderful thing." The man. The ground cracked beneath him and he disappeared into the ground. Amelia could hear her heart pounding in her eyes. She heard the ground cracking behind her and she whirled. Straight into the man's fist. Amelia stumbled backwards. The man came up behind her and put the razor to her throat. Amelia could feel his breath on her ear. "Now, we're gonna have a little fun." He said. Amelia felt the razor press into her skin. "That's no way to treat a lady, Billy-Ray." Said a voice from behind them. The man and Amelia turned. It was Skulduggery. Amelia could feel the man smile.

"Oh no, you are not screwin' this up for me. I am gettin' paid a lot of money for this!"

"And who, pray tell, are your employers? And what do they want with her?" Skulduggery said. The man smiled again.

"Now, that's none of your business. So, I'll just be taking the girl and going." He said. Amelia could feel blood running down her neck. She stomped on the man's foot. He squealed and Amelia grabbed the hand holding the razor and twisted again. The man was sent to the ground and Amelia ran to Skulduggery's side. Skulduggery reached into his jacket and pulled out a gun. Amelia froze.

"Billy-Ray Sanguine, you are under-" Before Skulduggery could finished, the man sunk into the ground. "Damn." Skulduggery said. He turned to Amelia. "Are you alright?" He said.

"No, I'm not alright! I've been attacked twice now in the last 12 or so hours! Why was he and that thing last night coming after me?!" Amelia said. Skulduggery looked at her.

"I don't know." He said. Amelia felt tears in her eyes.

"I, I, can't handle this." She said. Amelia could feel the blood harden on her neck.

"Let me have a look at that." He said. He gently lifted Amelia's chin up. She blushed. "We had better get that looked at." He said. Amelia nodded.

"I can't go to the hospital, they'll ask me what happened and I, uh, don't know if I can explain it."

"Don't worry, I've got just the man for the job. Well, old man." Skulduggery said.


End file.
